


Hacking Asgard

by Amara1783



Series: Hacking Asgard [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Kidnapping, Loki Needs a Hug, M/M, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Thor: The Dark World, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Slash, Restraints
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-02 11:32:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11508546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amara1783/pseuds/Amara1783
Summary: Loki provided Tony with a worktable. The consequences are entirely predictable.





	Hacking Asgard

**Author's Note:**

  * For [STARSdidathing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Make Your Move](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7666012) by [STARSdidathing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing). 



> This work is a sequel to 'Make Your Move' by [ STARSdidathing ](http://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing)\- please read that story first as otherwise this one won't make sense.
> 
> Beta'd by [3scoremiles10](http://archiveofourown.org/users/3scoremiles10/pseuds/3scoremiles10) who is awesome.

Tony felt that upon ascending the Throne of Just About Everything it was probably appropriate to laugh maniacally. No doubt while stroking a bald cat. But Tony had never been known for doing the appropriate thing, and so instead he simply made himself comfortable on Hliðskjálf and waited for Loki to notice his escape.

 He did wonder if there was a merit badge, or perhaps a loyalty card, for defeating one's kidnappers. Not only was he now two for two, but he was even getting better at it - it had only taken him two and a half months this time instead of three.

Jarvis, newly arrived, was wasting no time in making himself at home in the Asgardian version of a computer mainframe. It was damn good to hear his voice in the ear implant that had been silent for so long as the AI catalogued and indexed everything he came across, remarked on the magical version of coding, and at the same time gave Tony the Cliff Notes' version of events on earth.

As expected, Loki didn't make him wait long before making his appearance. He would have felt the shift as Tony seized control of the magic of Asgard, and his face was sharp and hard as he prowled forwards, his emerald cape flaring out behind him.

Tony let him stalk all the way to the base of the throne before using Gugnir to compel him to his knees.

In the months of his captivity Tony had become familiar enough with Loki to be able to tell that he was shocked, even though he was trying to hide it.

Tony’s smile was neither kind nor merciful.

“Hello Loki,” he said, almost conversationally. “Tell me, is not this simpler? Is this not your _natural_ state? Tell me again who craves subjugation? I've forgotten how it went."

Loki glared contemptuously up at him, visibly straining against the magical compulsion. “It is not an entirely unfamiliar position for me,” he replied sharply, deflecting. “How is it you are able to sit upon the throne, mortal?”

Tony let a few moments pass before replying, enjoying Loki’s discomfort after months of being subject to his whims. “You kidnapped me and left me almost entirely to my own devices with access to books and a workspace." He shrugged. "I got bored. And it turns out Thor wasn’t kidding when he said science and magic were the same thing here. It seems I've invented magical computer viruses - tell me what _do_ Asgardian teenagers do for fun? - and an interface that allows me to use Gugnir and sit on Hliðskjálf."

"Of course," continued Tony reflectively, "now that I’m actually sitting here I have a few ideas for some upgrades to the prototype. But before I get to spend some quality time in my shiny new lab, I have unfinished business with _you_.” Tony gestured with Gugnir, just because he could. It seemed to suit the moment. He had always had a good sense of dramatic timing.

“I thought of freezing you in carbonite and hanging you on the wall. This place could certainly use some redecorating. But that would cast me as the villain, and no way are you cool enough to be the best space pirate in the universe. You're more... Anakin."

"I know when I am being insulted, Stark, even if I do not understand most of your babbling," spat Loki, looking just as regal on his knees as he had stalking across Tony's lounge.

Tony grinned. "Your brother did say you were the clever one."

Loki's reaction to the mention of Thor and their relationship was as satisfying as Tony had hoped it would be, caught between furious denial and unwillingness to respond. He took a moment to savour it before continuing.

"As entertaining as this has been, all good things must come to an end, yadda yadda yadda, and as we're not going with the carbonite option -" Tony gestured again with his new staff. "You. Dungeons. Now."

At those words Loki felt the colour drain from his face, and cursed himself for showing such weakness. But the man who had for centuries called himself Loki's father had, from this throne, sentenced him to a lifetime of solitary confinement, and there was no reason _this_ man, whom he had attacked and stolen from his home, would do aught else. Rationally he knew it was not an unexpected decision, given the circumstances, and objectively he knew it could be much worse. But the sudden new reality of this man, whom he’d thought merely an idle distraction - passingly interesting and occassionally annoying - sentencing him to a lifetime alone in that cell, made his throat close up and his blood run cold. He’d borne the prospect of imprisonment stoically once before, when he hadn’t known the reality that awaited him.

Now cold horror crept over him at the thought of returning to that bare cell.

Loki, magically bound and on his knees, found that he would debase himself pleading for mercy, if it would delay that reality. Even as he knew that every word he spoke was likely in vain, he still spoke, relying on centuries of practice in the art of diplomacy to see him through.

But instead of the eloquence that normally came so easily to his tongue, what emerged was panic and terror.  “Please no, please, I beg you, please…”

His much acclaimed, much derided skill with words had deserted him. Loki had earned the epithet of silvertongue in negotiations with different peoples on different realms in pursuit of far less fundamental goals than this. Now, instead of charming and cajoling and bartering his way out of trouble he found he could only babble like some mindless wretch - and that realisation caused him to panic all the more.

“This Asgardian dungeon must be pretty special to scare you this much,” said Tony, mockingly. He expected a quick reply, something witty, in keeping with what he knew of Loki.

Instead, Tony saw the moment that Loki went from kneeling because he was magically held in place to kneeling of his own will - and abasing himself further, until his forehead was almost touching the ground, all the while continuing to plead in increasingly panicked tones that he not be put in the dungeon.

Jarvis, ever helpful, put up a display of Loki's biodata showing increased heart rate and rapid, shallow breathing. Tony could himself see the sweat beading on the other's brow and the subtle tremble of the hand splayed against the marble floor, steadying him.

This was pure panic. The sort of panic Tony recognised because he’d felt it himself, after Afghanistan.

He’d thought he’d be fine once he’d had his cheeseburger. And he had been, until a few weeks later at Stark Industries he’d gone to wash his hands in the men’s room of the lobby, and something about the sound of the water hitting the artsy stone sink combined with the trendy mood lighting had brought back memories of torture and terror. He’d been shaken and pale, staring at his reflection, willing himself to get a grip.

Since then he'd had an uneasy relationship with water - and with lighting and surfaces that reminded him, somehow, of a cave on the other side of the world. There was no pattern to it, or at least none that either he or Jarvis could detect, let alone predict.

Looking down at Loki, watching him panic on such a familiar frequency, Tony considered and dismissed the possibility that this was a trick. He was too pale, too desperate, too frantic, his words tumbling over each other. And though all of those things could technically be faked, Tony’s instincts told him this was genuine.

“What’s in the dungeon that you fear it so much?” he asked.

At first he didn’t think Loki had heard him, or would reply. But then Loki managed a deeper breath, looked up to meet his eyes, and spoke.

“Solitude. Memories. Time.”

Heh. It wasn’t as if Tony was exactly unfamiliar with those. “Well then, Prancer, what would you suggest as an alternative?”

Loki cast around for an answer, for anything to offer this man who had done the supposedly impossible and, while mortal, assumed the throne of Asgard.

Tony watched him flounder, compassion stirring in him even with the memory of his kidnapping bitter inside of him, and feeling increasingly as if he'd come in on the middle of an arthouse movie. "Hey, Jarvis? Can you catch me up on the backstory here? What’s Cheekbones McMayhem not telling us?"

"From what I have been able to access of the Asgardian version of memory banks, Your Majesty, I have so far learnt that when Thor brought Loki here after his attempted invasion of New York there was no trial, or indeed any chance for Loki to present his version of events. Instead his adoptive father King Odin sentenced him to a life of solitary imprisonment in the dungeons. Eighteen months later the Dark Elves attacked, killing his mother Frigga. Thor freed him to help defeat the Dark Elves, but made it plain that, even if successful, Loki would return to complete his sentence afterwards.”

“Thanks, Jarvis," said Tony distractedly, his mind furiously assimilation this new information, fitting it in with what he already knew of Loki. "Have you found any alternatives to imprisoning him?” asked Tony. “And less with the ‘your majesty’ nonsense.”

“‘Your Majesty’ is the correct form of address for the ruler of Asgard,” responded his AI primly.

Tony couldn't quite hide a fond smile at his AI.

"I am still accessing relevant data on the Asgardian legal system," said Jarvis.

Tony turned his attention back to his uncharacteristically quiet prisoner.

Loki, noticing the return of his former captive's attention, hastened to give him a reason to not imprison him.

"I can show you more of Asgard's magic," offered Loki, with far less than his usual suaveness.

"Pretty sure me and Jarvis will be able to figure things out just fine by ourselves."

"But I know all the tricks, the shortcuts, the hidden pathways," continued Loki.

The words themselves were convincing but Loki's tone was tinged with desperation. When Tony did not immediately reply he continued hastily. "I could help you negotiate with other realms."

"Don't need you for that either - Pepper _lives_ for that sort of thing."

Loki felt the desperation mount inside of him and struggled to keep his face neutral, to maintain at least that much dignity. But that thought almost made him laugh aloud, that he should be concerned about the scraps of his dignity now, facing an eternity of imprisonment that made his throat close in horror. With that the last of the fight went out of him.

 “You could bind me as your thrall,” said Loki flatly.

“Your Majesty," interjected Jarvis, "I am still accessing relevant files, but there is a spell of enthrallment that could be used - it seems it would bind Loki to you as your slave, who would be magically prevented from harming you.”

“No,” said Tony firmly, to both of them, in reflexive and visceral distaste at the thought.

“Then let it be execution, please,” said Loki, finality in his voice. Despair crept over him. And yet he’d rather forfeit his life than spend the rest of it in prison.

“Find a better option,” replied Tony immediately, the words spoken before he had consciously decided that this man’s death was unacceptable.

Loki looked up, startled, incredulous, hope shining on his face for the briefest of moments.

Long enough, however, for Tony to see it, and respond to it. It was probably some of Loki's own madness infecting him, but he wanted to reward that hope.

But he still had to figure out just what to do with him.

And how much did it suck that defeating one's kidnapper just created new problems? Part of him wanted to simply use Gugnir to execute Loki, or imprison him in the dungeons. But he'd seen the moment when Loki made his decision; seen the last bit of fight slump out of his erstwhile kidnapper. Loki’s terror wasn’t as satisfying as it should have been, and the prospect of his death felt… empty. Alongside anger at Loki for kidnapping him, he also felt something like pity. And residual frustration at Loki’s months of inaction.

And curiosity.

He had come to know Loki a little during his months of serving as involuntary confidante. He found he wanted to know him better.

Regardless of the many ways that could backfire.

Jarvis interrupted his train of thought. “I have determined that there exists a pair of magic impairing cuffs that Thor used to restrain Loki during their escape from Asgard. They could once more be used for that purpose. This would likely only be a temporary solution, however.”

“Temporary is all I need, Jarvis, just until we have a chance to come up with something better,” replied Tony.

Experimentally he tried using Gugnir to summon the cuffs, focusing on the description of them that Jarvis had given him. He felt the power at his command through the interface surge. Cuffs appeared. Tony approved. Really handy staff, Gugnir.

Tony rose and descended Hliðskjálf’s stairs. As he approached, Loki once more dropped his gaze and bowed his head.

“Get up,” commanded Tony, but with a gentleness that surprised him. “I won’t send you back to the dungeons. And I’d rather not execute you just yet. Which I’m sure makes me a bad superhero. But Jarvis says you never got a second chance. One mistake and they locked you away for ever, without even hearing your side of the story. As much as I object to being kidnapped, you didn’t hurt me. So for now, you can show me around Asgard, after I put these cuffs on you so you don’t turn me into a toad the first chance you get.”

He gestured once more with Gugnir and saw the intricate cuffs manifest on Loki’s wrists, locking into place.

Tony wondered where this not-quite-pity he felt for Loki would lead. That and his belief in second chances. The bewilderment on Loki’s face meant at least he’d managed to surprise the Asgardian. That in itself was something.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Concrit welcome :)


End file.
